Thermionic tube socket



March 1s, 1941. H,H,`EBY I 2,235,207

'IPHERMIONIC TUBE SOCKET Filed July so', 1937 "E fa. Y

INVENTOR Haag/#EBYf l Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEFIcE THERMONIC TUBE, SOCKET Hugh H. Eby, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Hugh H. Eby, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation oi' Pennsylvania Application `luly 30, 1937, Serial No. 156,481

4 Claims.

This invention relates to thermionic tube sockets, and more particularly to radio tube socket receptacles.

In application Ser. No. 148,546, led June 16, 1937, I disclosed improvements in radio tube sockets, a feature of which was themounting of a socket base, either of unitary or multi-piece construction, in a metallic mounting support.

VThe instant invention comprises improvements on the disclosures of that application, as well as improvements in the art generally.

It is among the objects of this invention; to reduce the costs oi radio tube sockets; to provide a radio tube socket of extreme simplicity; to provide a radio tube socket of conventional strength but of small mass and weight of materials; to improve the sockets disclosed in the -earlier filed Eby applications, Ser. Nos. 25,369 illed June 1, 1935, now Patent No. 2,127,556 of August 23, 1938; and 25,055 led June 5, 1935, now Patent No. 2,196,697 of April 9, 1940; to improve the details of radio tube sockets; to provide an assembled radio tube socket arranged for snap-'in sub-assembly mounting; to provide a radio tube socket arranged for snap-in assembly and for snap-in sub-assembly mounting; and many other objects and advantages as will become more apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a plan of a metal stamping or pan according to one form ci the invention,

Fig. 2 represents an elevation, partially broken away, on an enlarged scale, oi the stamping of Fig. i, y

Fig. 3 represents-a plan of the assembled metal stamping of Fig. 1 and the socket receptacle mounted thereon,

Fig. 4 represents a fragmentary vertical section through a portion of the assembled socket and mounting support o! Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary section through a further modiiication of the mounting support, showing a. different form of anchoring element,

Fig. 6 represents a fragmentary perspective of a portion of the mounting device of Fig. '7.

In carrying out the invention in certain of its broader aspects, a metal plate is provided having an integralsecuring means extending from it, and a socket receptacle is held to the plate by a portion of the securing means.

In the disclosure of the application M8546 it was shown that a. metal stamping or cage having a recess to receive a socketbase could ube associated with the base, with means to anchor the parts together. A cage or metal stamping similar in its broader aspects to that of said application, 1s shown in some of the figures in this application. l

Referring to Fig. 1, the pan or metal stamping comprises the upper plane portion, I Il merging into the securing ears Il having the mounting apertures I2, to receive eyelets or the like -for securing the socket assembly on a panel of a chassis of the radio set, or the like, The well to receive the base is comprised of the substantially cylindrical wall i3, integral with the upper portion l0, terminating in the short inwardly extending flange i4. The stamping thus described may be provided with the vertical rib l5 stamped from the metal of the cylindrical wall, to serve as a device for preventing rotation of the base in the stamping, as well as for indexing the base in the stamping, as will be explained. In the form of stamping shown in Fig. 1, it is a feature of importance that Y a plurality of downwardlyextending tongues I6 are formed in the cylindrical wall of the stamping, terminating in a locking edge Il a prede: termined distance from the plane of the flange I4, controlledfbythe thickness of the lower plate or lamination to be described. In this connection 1t may be'observed that the ange i4 may be slotted radially, as shown, to form a plurality of bendable ngers I8, some at least of which can be bent up from the plane of the flange to receive resiliently the lower plate to be described, to yield during seating of such plate to a point only at which the tongue edge l1 engages such plate rmly and positively for anchoring to accord with variations in thickness of laminations. or variations in gauge of metal used in forming. contacts.

The provision of the fingers in the flange by the radial slots shown, which was shown in the application Ser. No. 148,546, leads to another feature of the invention which should be noted. In the said last mentioned application in Fig. 73 there was disclosed a fragment of a mounting pan in which the flange of the pan carried a perpendicular flange or finger. substantially as shown in Fig. 4B herein. Reference to Fig. 2y discloses a figure that is identical with the said Fig. 73 noted, except that the finger extends perpendicularly of the flange in the opposite direc-V tion to proximity to certain of the socket contacts. In practice it may be` preferred to form several fingers, illustratively-foll-l'. lfor instance, as indicated in dotted lines at Llwhich are bent to perpendicularity to .theilan'geffll as shown at 8.

,y While desired pairs Viniglithe used for any desiredY purpose suchk asinlght arise in the radio art, the lingers l are preferably arranged with suitable scoring or lines of weakness to be easily broken on when not desired for use, to leave that one or more that is desired, if any, in the given installation. a

'I'he multi-part base of this invention may be formed of two sheets of insulating material, such as the molding material known as low loss material, or any of the phenolic resins, or the like, or may comprise those insulating sheets known as laminated. Illustratively a lower sheet or plate 2i preferably shaped so as to be received within the cylindrical wall il has a large central round aperture 22, and a plurality of contact receiving apertures 23 disposed in a concentric circle in the plate. Broadly the shape of the contact apertures and the nature of the contacts 24 may be varied as desired.

A top or cover plate 3l is superimposed upon the first plate (2l), and has prong contact apertures arranged for substantial registration with the contact apertures 23, or with the prong passage 62 in the contact mounted therein, and also has a central aperture 36. The top and bottom plates are each provided with a lateral recess, respectively 31 and 38, communicating with the respective central apertures 2 and 22, and forming an indexing guiding groove portion of the registering guide apertures, to receive the axial guide protuberance on certain types of radio tubes possessed of a lateral key, tongue, or rib, as is common in the art. It is preferred that the two plates be held rigidly together by an eyelet I0 having the bottom flange Il engaging under bottom plate 2|, the upper ilange I2, swaged over the upper surface of the top plate 3|, and with a portion of the eyelet engaging laterally in the registering recesses 31 and 3l. or the groove formed thereby, as at Il. 'This serves the excellent cause of simultaneously anchoring the plates together, preventing their relative rotation, securing a guide rib recess, protecting the material adjacent to the recess with a metal overhang, secures symmetrical support during axial pressure from tube insertion, enabling the use oi' thinner sheets of material, and obviates the use of additional securing` means between the plates.

The composite base thus formedis associated with the pan or mounting support oi' Fig. 1, by simply pressing the complete base axially downwardly into the well of the pan, until the edge of the lower plate has pushed the resilient tongues i6 outwardly toward the surface 'of the wall Il until the lower edge il of each clears the upper edge of the lower plate, pursuant to which the tongues spring inwardly to engage upon the Vupper surface of the lower plate to hold the assembly in anchored relation. In this connection itis preferred that in predetermined angular relation to the guide recesses in the central apertures of the respective plates, there will be lndexing indentations ll, arranged to engage upon the indexing rib il of the stamping. Such indentations may be of any number from one on, but preferably there will be four disposed in such relation as to enable 90 indexing between the assembled composite base and the metal stamping or mounting support. obviously after the assembly of the pan and base of Fig. 3 has been secured, the parts are anchored, but this relation can be interrupted by pushing any thin oblect downwardly to retract the resilient .tongues to permit reindexing or disassembly. The indexing peripheral slots of the assembled acceso? socket ofFig. 3 may be disposed in the lower plate only in order to leave the upper plate free from visible unnecessary apertures. In this case. of course, the rib I5 would be terminated close to flange il. l It will be clear that the assembled mounting support and multi-part socket or base is a cheap and simple construction, and that by means oi the mounting ears it can easily be secured upon a panel of a chassis of a radio set or the like.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a modified form of pan is disclosed in which the wall I3 has an arcuately prolonged indentation or boss 46. disposed high in said wall so as to be arranged to frlctionally engage the upper plate 34 of the composite base of 15 the earlier figures, or of a form of base which is not previously secured together. It will be clear that with the boss shown, provided in such numbers as may be found expedient, perhaps two or four thereof, that the lower plate 2i with the 20 several female contacts disposed in the contact apertures thereof may be pushed into the well of the mounting support. then the upper plate 34 may be pushed into the well of the mounting support and the act of associating the upper 26 plate with the lower also anchors them together. In this case it is preferred that the indexing rib .be of such vertical extent as to engage both plates so as to prevent relative rotation of the plates. In Figs. 5 and 6 the boss is on a tongue 30 slotted in wall I3 to impart resilience.

In the forms of invention just described it has been suggested that the assembly of mount-- ing support and socket element or base be by the formation of a veritable housing in which the 35 base was mounted. This is a desirable form.

I claim:

1. In radio tube sockets, a supporting plate including an aperture, a socket supporting element mounted integrally on the plate and extending at least partially into the aperture in position to positively stop a socket passing into the aperture in the plate, a substantially perpendicular wall integrally extending from the plate at the side of the aperture toward the supporting element, an integral resilient tongue struck out of the wall and having a laterally protuberant portion normally extending into the aperture, a multipart socket receptacle associated with the plate and disposed on the supporting element, said socket arranged to engage and deflect the said protuberant portion to enable the socket to engage the supporting element, and said tongue arranged to return substantially to its normal resilient positioning to engage said socket to hold it engaged with the supporting element.

2. In radio tube sockets, a supporting device having a wall and a flange, a resilient tongue formed in the wall extending away from the flange and providing a curved shoulder spaced from the flange, and a socket receptacle formed of two layers associated with said device and having a portion of both layers in the space between the shoulder and the flange to hold the receptacle KAand device together. v

3. A mounting support for a radio tube socket comprising a plate having a depending wall and an integral'supporting flange, and a resilient iinger having a curved shoulder toward its free end formed in the wall and extending away from the 70 flange so that 'the curved shoulder is spaced from the flange a distance proper to receive the radio tube socket elementV to cause a socket element resting upon the flange to be held against movement away from the flange by said curved shoulu' Cil ve. supporting e, the suppe e including an independent finger resilientw inclined out of the piene of the ange in auch position as to yieidingly receives radio whe et, e resilient @nger having n surface presented .i the u in spaced relation thereto to -se en fly presenting surface of en inserted radio tube socket. and the mst mentioned nger h capabieiof distortion to 11e substantially in the plane of the e in accounting for indio tube sockets of appreciable thickness but arranged to urge thinnel; radio tube socketseway from the level of the nnse to engsigeirnemI with the downwerdly presenting surface of the second men tioned nger so that radio sockets of vary@ ing thicmess are anchored securely to the mounting support. 

